Awake & Alive
by DreamingEO
Summary: Olivia's eyes were blurry from her tears and she angrily wiped them away. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. She looked around the room as her eyes came into focus in the dark. She looked for anything that could be helpful to her. Anything. Then suddenly she realized... "Oh my gosh..." She knew exactly where she was.
1. Chapter 1

"Go!" Amaro yelled, "Go, now!"

Sirens wailed as the thunder clapped across the sky and rain hit hard against the sidewalk. The detectives were drenched but that's not what they were focused on. One of their own was in trouble.

The SWAT team busted the door down and held their shields in front of them as they made their way into the empty building. Rollins, Amaro, and Fin all followed behind them, looking for any signs that Olivia had been there.

"There's blood," the petite blonde said as she flashed her flashlight over the dried sticky substance that stained the hard concrete.

Amaro sighed, "They were here."

"They could be anywhere by now," Fin said.

"Clear!" one of the men yelled.

Olivia had been there and they had missed her. They only had one lead and now they were stuck at a dead end. They were trapped in a race against time.

"Get CSU here," Fin ordered Amaro, "The blood might not be Liv's."

Amaro nodded and the three of them headed back outside into the storm. Their captain was waiting for them and hoping to hear good news. When he saw the looks of devastation on their faces he knew Olivia wasn't there. He sighed and began to pray. He was praying to anyone who would listen and anyone who could help them.

Meanwhile Olivia was alone. She was freezing and her head was killing her but she was alive. She kept telling herself to stay alive. Her wrist was throbbing and she knew it was broken. It didn't take a doctor to figure that out. She looked around but wherever she was was so dark that she could barely make out her hand in front of her. "Just stay alive," she whispered to herself.

Out of nowhere lights flicked on and Olivia shuttered. The light burned her eyes and she was frightened when she saw him. The evil smile on his face was enough to creep anybody out.

"Nice words," he said in his deep voice.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't bare to look him in the eyes. How could he do this to her? After everything...

"Why are you doing this?" she asked forcing her voice to be strong.

He chuckled and walked closer to her, bending down so he was on her level. "Because I can."

The thunder clashed again as Captain Cragen slammed his office door shut. He wanted to be left alone. He needed to think. He needed peace. He needed his mind to wonder away from the bottle and focus on finding Olivia. That was his top priority. He thought about the last time he saw her; two days ago. He thought about if her mood had changed; tired, nothing new. Was she with anyone; no.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when someone tapped lightly on his door.

"What?" he barked.

Munch slowly walked in and closed the door shut behind him. "I have something," he said quietly waving the paper in his hand.

"What is it? He didn't want to say. "CSU found a fingerprint in the warehouse. They ran it through the database and they got a match."

Cragen looked up to Munch before even beginning to open the envelope. Whatever name that envelope held could lead them to Olivia. Cragen's wrinkled fingers shook violently as he forced himself to swallow though his mouth was cotton dry. Slowly he pulled out the piece of paper.

The pain that Olivia was feeling in her wrist was intensifying now and she just wanted to scream. Why was he doing this to her? What did she ever do to deserve this? She wanted to know. She took a deep breath and looked over at him from where he was sitting in a brown leather recliner.

"Why?" she questioned. Her voice was hoarse from the tears burning her throat.

"All those years," he said casually taking another sip of his beer, "All those years I looked after you. All those years I took the blame to cover your ass. All those damn years where I had marital problems. They were all because of you."

Olivia shook her head. She didn't believe it. She wouldn't. If anything she had helped him keep his life on track. She never told him to take the blame for her mistakes and she hated when he did. She was always there for him. When he was blind, when his wife was in labor, when he almost went down for beating a man to death, when his daughter was in jail. She was always there and she would never forget it.

"You don't mean that," she whispered, "We were best friends." She couldn't control her tears now as they steadily streamed down her cheeks. They were burning because her cheeks were so cold. "Elliot," she said when she realized he was listening, "El..." using his nickname made her heart shatter. Especially now that he was doing this. "El, you don't have to do this. It's okay. You need help..." From where she was sitting tied to the wall she could see Elliot shake his head. He wasn't facing her but she knew him well. She knew he was contemplating things. "Just let me go, El, and we can get you the help you need. What about your kids?"

"My kids," he chuckled. He turned the brown recliner around so he was now facing Olivia and she could see his red and swollen eyes. He had been crying. "My kids don't want anything to do with me."

"I bet that's not true," Olivia said when another shot of pain shot through her wrist. She whimpered silently, not wanting to lose the connection she was getting with him. It was just like on the job.

"Just stop!" he yelled startling her. He practically jumped out of the chair and made a dash for the stairs, turning the lights off as he went.

Olivia let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She was terrified. Terrified that Elliot was going to do something he shouldn't. She knew he wasn't okay. She knew the shooting had changed him but she didn't know how much until now. The salty drops of liquid didn't seem to ever stop as she thought back to all of the good times they had together.

_"I'd give you a kidney."_

_ "Not if I gave you mine first."_

_ "Like you said, you're the longest relationship I've ever been in with a man. Who else would put up with me?"_

Now she was sobbing even harder.

Cragen wasn't standing for it. He ordered Munch to take the results back to the lab and demand they run the DNA again. There was no way it was Elliot Stabler's. He would never hurt Olivia and everybody knew that. Or they thought they knew that.

"Sir," Amanda said in her quiet voice as she stood in the doorway of his office, "I know that Elliot left after a shooting... do you think that could have changed him?"

Cragen looked over to the bottle of liquor that was just sitting on his shelf collecting dust. He didn't know why he kept it there but right now it was calling his name.

"I don't know," he mumbled, "I really don't."

Amanda gave him a sympathetic smile and slowly made her way further into his office and shut the door behind her. Cragen took it as an invitation to start talking.

"The day Olivia first came to work here I didn't think she would last," he said smiling at his own idiocy, "I mean, she was this pretty young woman who wore lipstick and wore dresses. There was no way... Then she finished the first year and case closure rate was higher than ever. Her and Stabler hardly ever let a case go cold."

"They're good people. Good cops."

"I've known Olivia for about fifteen years now and I have never, ever seen her put herself before others. She would through herself in front of a gun without a vest on if she had to. She's done it." He remembered the day because when they had gotten back to the precinct he chewed her ass out for not following protocol. "Olivia is the closest thing I have to family," he said letting the sadness linger in her voice, "Elliot was just like a son to me."

"I know you don't want to believe it," Amanda said kindly, "But if it's true... then we can still help her. And him. I know they were partners for a long time and I know he could never hurt her just like that. We'll find them."

Cragen looked up the picture of Olivia and Elliot on his desk and looked his youngest detective in the eyes. She was still just a rookie to him. She had so much to learn and there was so much she still hadn't seen. He knew she could never replace Olivia. No matter how hard she tried. She could be a good cop but it still wouldn't match up. Nick Amaro was a good cop. He even had the anger issues to match Stabler but, it still just wasn't the same. It was like his family was leaving him and somehow he was stuck.

"He isn't living with his wife anymore," Cragen said grabbing a pen from a coffee mug and a piece of paper from a drawer, "Go talk to her." He scribbled down the address of Kathy Stabler and sent Amanda and Nick on their way.

Nick Amaro stepped out of the light brown Sedan and Amanda Rollins followed behind him. They both had their long pea coats on as it was pretty chilly outside. Nick eyed the house like he did on every case just to make sure there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Nothing seemed to be. They walked up the steps to the white painted building and that's when a putrid smell assaulted their nostrils.

"Oh gosh," Amanda said covering her nose with her arm, "That can't be good."

Nick sighed and knocked on the door loudly three times. Both detectives listened for any footsteps or any indication of activity inside but they heard none. "I'm busting it down," he said pulling his gun and taking a step back. There was a loud thud and then the door was open and they had view of the front room.

"Clear," Nick yelled to Amanda.

"Kitchen's clear!" she yelled back.

They both walked to the bottom of the stairs after clearing the lower level of the house and then made their way to upper level. The rotting smell seemed to intensity as they climbed up the steps. The first room at the top of the stairs seemed to be one of the girls' room. The walls were painted pink and there were girl clothes strewn all over the floor. The place looked like it had been ransacked. They went to the next room to find quite a surprise.

"Oh no," Amanda sighed seeing the cold decaying body lying on top of the bed.

"I'll call CSU. You call the captain," Nick said.

Working this case wasn't particularly easy for Nick. He and Olivia were good friends and one night she had confided in him how she felt about Elliot. She even told him that she loved his kids and she wished she could still see them. It made his heart ache for her. He knew by the age of the child and the gender, that it was Richard Stabler. Otherwise known as Dickie. Now he felt even more uneasy as all of their evidence pointed to Elliot Stabler.

"How do you know?" Cragen barked into the phone, "You've never even seen Richard!"

"Captain, Olivia showed me pictures. She keeps one of all of his kids in her purse. I know this is him... I'm sorry. I know you don't want to believe it but all of our evidence points to Elliot and Olivia is still with him. We can still save her."

A loud bang and then a strike of electric blue lit up the sky. Everything in the precinct went dark and the only sound that filled Cragen's ears were the rain drops beating hard against the ceiling and the wind howling through the cracks in the window.

**P.S I know have other stories up and if you're reading them they will get finished. I just think this one needs to be up too!**


	2. Chapter 2

Normally Olivia hated when it stormed. She wasn't fond of the loud sounds or the dry lightening that cracked across the sky. Tonight was different. Tonight she appreciated the loud sounds because as long as she heard them, it meant she was still alive. The pain in her hand had seemed to cease after she stopped trying to fight and get her hands free from the rope but now she felt tired. She couldn't go to sleep now. She needed to stay awake so she could protect herself from the monster that had become of a perfectly good man.

"So what's the cause of death?" Amanda asked as she stood with her hands in the pockets of her brown leather jacket. Fin was standing next to her as they waited to hear the ruling of death.

"I'm ruling it a homicide," Melinda Warner answered, "Cause of death is blunt force trauma to the head. From the bruising around his wrists and the cuts on his knuckles I'd say he tried to fight back."

Fin sighed and Amanda lowered her head. Amanda never knew Elliot and she didn't know much about him. The only time she had heard his name is when Olivia talked about him or the captain praised him for having a good closure rate. Seeing all of her co-workers and friends so depressed wasn't easy for her. She knew this was most likely going to be the hardest case she would ever work.

"Did you get anything that could lead us to his killer?" Fin questioned.

Melinda shook her head, "No. There were no prints, no hairs, no anything. Whoever killed him knew what he was doing."

"Like a cop," Amanda said quietly.

"Exactly."

Nick Amaro was back at the precinct trying to find the whereabouts of Kathy Stabler or any of the Stabler children. So far he hadn't had any luck. He ran all of Kathy's credit cards and financial data and none of it had been used for months. The last place the address registered to was the house they had already checked. He then contacted Hudson University and talked to all of the professors Kathleen was taught by. They all said the same thing. She hadn't attended a class in almost four months. It was like they had disappeared and fell flat off the face of the earth. He knew it was a long shot but he ran Elliot Stabler through the system and came up with a math on a credit card. The last known place it was used was only a few blocks away. Nick scrambled through his desk drawer and pulled out an old piece of paper to scribble the address down on and then he was on his way.

When he arrived to his location he looked around the house to see that it was in pretty bad shape. The shutters were hanging off and the one side had mold growing all over it. It wasn't any place for children. He slammed his car door shut and made his way to the door, hoping he would find somebody there. He waited a few minutes and was just about to turn around when the door swung open. An older woman with blonde hair answered and Nick knew this was Kathy Stabler.

"Mrs. Stabler?"

"That's not my name anymore," Kathy spat, "Who the hell are you?"

"Uh, I'm Detective Nick Amaro. Special Victims." He held up his badge to Kathy just to prove he was who he said he was. "Do you mind if I come in?"

Kathy looked behind her trying to think of any excuse to tell Nick no. She couldn't find a good one so she opened the door further and stepped to side to give him some room.

"So, what are you here for?" she asked leading him into what seemed to be the living room. He couldn't tell by all of the blankets and pillows scattered on the floor and on the two couches.

"It's about your son," Nick said treading lightly, "There was an accident."

"Oh no..." Kathy broke down into hysterics before Nick even explained to her what had happened. Her head was in her hands and her whole body was shaking. "I knew it," she sobbed, "I told him not to go back but he just wouldn't listen! He thought he could protect himself... This is all my fault."

"Kathy," he said not knowing what else to call her, "Where did you tell him not to go back to?"

Kathy sniffed and looked up as she bit her bottom lip, "Elliot's house."

"The one you guys used to share?"

She nodded, "After Elliot quit work things were... okay. They were getting back to normal but then... then he got really angry. All the time he would yell and get mad over the simplest of things. I couldn't let my kids see that anymore so I packed what I could and we left."

"Why did Richard go back?"

"He thought he could talk some sense into him... get him to see a therapist. I told him he shouldn't but, he doesn't ever listen."

"I found you because I ran Elliot's credit card and the last payment that was made was for rent. Do you have his credit card?"

Kathy nodded again, "It's all the money we have left. This was the cheapest house I could find with the money that I had..."

"I'm sorry," Nick said truly, "I'm trying to find Elliot. He isn't going to get with this. Do you know where he might be?"

Kathy shook her head no, "I have no idea. Ask Olivia. She might know."

He sighed. Should he tell her that Olivia was missing? Was it the right thing or was it better if she didn't know? Maybe Kathy didn't like Olivia. Nick wasn't sure. "That's the thing... Kathy, Olivia's missing. We have reason to believe that she was kidnapped... by your ex-husband."

The storm didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon and every time lightening would strike the sky Cragen grew weaker. He wanted so badly to grab the bottle of wine sitting on the shelf. He just wanted one glass... just one glass would calm his nerves. He figured he would have enough self control to stop after one.

Another lightening bolt split down the sky.

Another shaky breath. He couldn't compose his self.

"Don't."

Cragen stopped midway and turned to see Munch standing in the doorway. "You don't want it. You don't need it."

"Damn it. Yes I do!"

Munch shook his head, "It isn't going to solve anything. Think of Liv. She needs you sober right now. She needs you to be in charge. She needs your help and you can't give that to her if you're drunk."

Cragen bowed his head in defeat. He knew Munch was right. He didn't understand why it was so hard. He had been sober for so many years now. Why was tonight such a fight?

"Get it out of here," he ordered, "Dump it down the damn sink and then call Fin. I want to know the ruling of Richard and I wanted to know yesterday."

Munch did as we he was told and grabbed the bottle to go straight to the bathroom and dump it down the drain. He watched as the burgundy liquid swirled down the drain. That's what he felt his life was coming to. He promised Olivia during the first year she began working at SVU that they all had her back. He felt now as if he had let her down. He had spent the longest on the job besides the captain... he should have known something was up.

Back at Kathy's Nick was having a hard time getting her to talk. After he had told her about Olivia she seemed to have gone mute. She hadn't said word for the better part of an hour and Nick was wondering if she was still there.

"Kathy? I don't know if you... I don't... uh..."

"He killed my son..." she whispered, "He'll kill Olivia."

Nick didn't know what to say to that. The whole point of visiting Kathy was to find Elliot so they could get to Olivia and save her before that happened. "That's why I need your help. I need you to think real hard. Where might Elliot be?"

"My Grandma's," Kathleen said as she rounded the corner. "She died a few months ago and she left the house to him. It's in Staten Island."

"How do you know this?" Kathy asked, turning to face the young blonde.

"I talked to him... on the phone," she admitted, "We just walked out on him when he needed us the most."

Kathy wasn't going to argue. She had done enough of that with her children lately because they all saw her as the bad guy. Some day they would understand that she was only trying to protect them.

"Thank you," Nick said to Kathleen before letting himself out and returning back to the precinct to grab a partner. There was no way he would make this trip solo. If Elliot turned out to be there he would be armed and dangerous.

Olivia knew she needed to think of something to get Elliot back in the room. Something to get in touch with him and bring him back to reality. Something to save herself.

"Kathleen stills calls you," she said out loud, hoping Elliot could hear her. She knew that Kathleen wouldn't be able to just drop her father like that. She hoped that her gut led her to the right words. "She still loves you."

The light came back on and Olivia let out a breath.

"Don't talk about my kids," he bellowed, now standing in front of her.

"They all still love you," she went on to say, "They miss their Dad."

She saw the rage in his eyes and she saw him raise his hand. She squeezed her eyes shut bracing for impact and when the hit came... she lost all hope.

"I guess I deserved that," she said with tears on streaming down her face, "El, you're so much better than this. You know it and I know it and everybody that knows you knows it. I didn't leave you, Elliot. You left me. Remember? I called every day. I left messages. You never answered. So please... tell me why you're doing this."

He opened his mouth to say something but shut it tight and walked away. He wasn't in the mood to hear Olivia's bull shit and he didn't have to stand around and listen to it. He left the room again, slamming the door shut behind him. The sound made Olivia jump and she couldn't believe this was actually happening. She just wouldn't believe it.

"Wake up," she told herself, "Wake up. You know you're asleep so wake up!"

"What if we're too late?" Amanda asked from the back seat of the car. Nick was in the passenger's seat and Fin decided to drive. He was familiar with where Bernie lived because he had to go to the house next door once for a case.

"We won't be," Fin answered.

"But what if we are? What if he's in so deep that... he just killed her?"

"I know Elliot," Fin said getting agitated, "You do not. He may have temper problems but Olivia is his best friend. He wouldn't hurt her. Ever. So let it go."

Nick and Amanda both just looked at him. They figured he needed to say it to be able to do his job but deep down, they both knew he was thinking the same thing. What if they did get there too late? What if that isn't even where Olivia and Elliot are? What then? Where do they turn to?

Olivia's eyes were blurry from her tears and she angrily wiped them away. She was pissed off more than anything. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. She looked around the room as her eyes came into focus the things in the dark. She looked for anything that could be helpful to her. Anything. Then suddenly she realized... "Oh my gosh..." She knew exactly where she was.

**Amanda4Meloni – I don't know.. I guess you will have to keep reading to find out :) It could all just be misunderstanding. **


	3. Chapter 3

Stepping out of the vehicle, Fin realized that the area was quiet. Almost too quiet. There didn't seem to be any birds chirping like they normally did during the day. Maybe it was because of the storm or maybe it was because birds could smell the danger from miles away.

"No car," Nick pointed out, "Kathy said that he had bought a new car after he quit. Some sort of midlife crisis. I don't think he's here."

"Maybe he went out to get groceries," Fin spat, "Go through the back. Rollins and I will take the front."  
Nick creeped around the side of the house peeking in through the windows as he went. He didn't see anybody and nothing seemed to be out of place. The furniture looked like it hadn't been touched in ages.

Fin and Amanda waited patiently on the front step under the canopy trying the get out of the pouring rain that didn't seem to be letting up any. They waited until they were sure nobody was going to answer and that's when the door knob began jiggling.

"Back door was unlocked," Nick said greeting his friends with a smile, "Nobody's here. The place hasn't been touched in a couple of months. They were never here."

Fin sighed, "Somebody call Cragen."

"Always a cop," Olivia mumbled under her breath. After she had looked around and realized where she was, she knew what was going to happen. She knew why he had taken her there. Nobody would ever think to look there. He could keep her there for as long as he wanted..."Damn it," she mumbled with tears clouding her vision yet again. She was lost in her own nightmare when she felt a faint buzzing in the back pocket of her jeans. That's when she remembered she had her phone with her. She let out a slow breath and prepared herself for the pain that her wrist was about to endure before trying her best to stand up, and grab the phone. She maneuvered slowly and came inches away from her pocket before her arm wasn't able to stretch anymore. She bowed her head in despair and thought of what her next move was going to be.

"Stop trying to figure a way to get out," she heard Elliot say. She slowly lifted her head up to see that he was standing in front of her again. His blue eyes red and glazed looking. She knew he had been drinking. "I'm just as good a detective as you. Just because I don't work there anymore doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing."

"The only thing I'm thinking about right now is about my best friend betraying me... betraying everything he ever stood for."

"Just shut up, Olivia."

"What happened to you? What happened to the Elliot Stabler that I knew? The one that was always there. The one who could talk to any victim and make them feel safe. The one who cared about his life... What happened?"

"I said shut up!"

Olivia flinched as Elliot raised her hand in the motion to smack her. She couldn't believe he actually raised his hand at her, but then again she couldn't believe her whole situation.

"This is just..."

"Captain!" Munch yelled from his desk. He had a paper in his hand and he was waving it around in the air like he just won the lottery.

"What is it?"

"Kathy told Amaro that when Elliot left he took her credit card instead of his. That's why they were using his card. I ran Kathy's through the system again and it was used two days ago at a Home Depot just a few blocks away from here."

Cragen nodded, hopefully they were getting somewhere. "Okay, John, Fin, you go to the place and ask every worker there if they saw him! I don't want any worker left unasked. Go."

John and Fin both grabbed their jackets and made their way toward the elevator. They were on a mission and they weren't going to stop until Olivia was found safe.

"Can I help you?" An older man with a white beard and no hair on his head was standing just inside the automatic doors of the shop, greeting people with a handshake and a warm hello.

"Yes," John said as he flashed the man his badge, "Can you tell us if you have seen this man here recently?"

The older man shrugged, "Sorry. I just started the job today. I can probably get you in to see the manager."

"That would be appreciated," Fin said, "Tell him we aren't leaving until we speak with him."

The man nodded and then pulled a portable talky off the belt loop on his Khakis and started speaking into it. A buzzing sound came back and the man turned to the detectives and said, "He's on his way over here."

"Hi," the manager, Jonathon, greeted them, "Why don't we step into my office?"

John and Fin both followed Jonathon into his small office that was at the other end of the store. The room was secluded and gave them the privacy they needed.

"Have you seen this man here recently? He probably would have been here about… noon on Wednesday."

Jonathon shrugged, "I don't think so. I see a lot of people during the days. It's hard to remember faces."

"Think really hard," Fin said scooting the photo of Elliot closer to him. "It could save somebody's life."

Jonathon sighed and scratched at his bald head, "I think I remember seeing him. The cashier who was ringing him up was new and she needed help deleting something off the receipt."

"What did he buy?"

"I don't remember," he said honestly, "Ask Sheila White. She was his cashier. Register 11."  
"Thank you," John said following Fin out of the office and back into the small crowd of the store. They made their way to register 11 and were lucky to find the line empty.

"Hi," Fin said stepping up, "NYPD." He showed Sheila his badge and she wondered what they could possibly want to talk to her for.

"Can I help you?" Sheila asked hesitantly.

"Your manager, Jonathon, said you checked out this man on Wednesday afternoon," John began saying as Fin held up the picture, "Can you tell us what he bought?"

Sheila nodded, "Yeah, he was a real angry guy. Got impatient when I couldn't take his item off. He bought some duct tape, some rope, some plywood and some beer."  
"That all?"

Sheila nodded and Fin sighed. "Thank you. You've been a great help."

"Now what?" Fin asked as he and Munch walked out of the building and out to their car. "We have to find her…"

"We will," John said, "We just need to think a little harder."


	4. Chapter 4

It was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open as she tried to fight the exhaustion that was over taking her body. She felt weak and defeated and finally a world of slumber took over.

Elliot, seeing her head lull to the side, entered the small room. He walked over next to her and sat down leaning his back against the wall. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I wish I could control myself but, I can't. I try and I try and I just get so damn angry." Tears were forming in his eyes and he was beginning to realize that he had to let Olivia go. "I'm going to get you to a hospital as soon as I can," he added, "I won't pick up another drink. I am... so... sorry." After that he got up and went to find a blanket so he could drape it around her to keep her warm.

Nick had just about had enough and he was at his wits end. He knew that Olivia was somewhere close by. She wouldn't go willingly without putting up a fight. Especially if Elliot was who she was with. She knew all of his weak spots. "Rollins," he called shifting his chair around so he was facing her, "You remember the night we all went to Liv's for cards?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"She was telling us about how her and Elliot would always go to some place just outside of Queens when they were both on vacation. Do you remember what it was?"

"Uh, Something like Roco's Hotel," Amanda answered, "Let's go check it out." Both detectives grabbed their jackets and set out again to find their colleague and good friend.

"Have you seen either of these two people recently?" Rollins asked holding up a picture of Elliot and Olivia to the glass barrier that separated the manager from the customers.

"Nope."

"You sure?"

"Nope."  
"Listen," Amaro said getting agitated, "Look at the damn picture before I come in there and make you look at the damn picture."  
"Oo," the manager said, "I look real scared, don't I?"

Amaro rolled his eyes and walked around to the hallway where he knew there was a door that would lead him into the small room. He kicked the door down and ran up behind the manager, Toby, smashing his face down against the counter and holding his arm down tightly behind his back.

"Look at the picture!" he demanded.

Toby looked up at the picture Rollins was still holding to the glass. "I haven't seen them in a long time! This is police brutality!"

"Yeah, call a cop," Amaro said before knocking some things over and then leaving.

Once in the car, Amaro let out a sigh and hit the steering wheel hard with his fists. "She could be dead."

"She's not," Amanda assured him, "She's Benson. We will find her."

Back at the precinct, the place was quiet. Don had went to an AA meeting; the first one he went to in years. He needed to go now before temptation got the best of him. John and Fin were on their way to Olivia's apartment to make sure there wasn't anything that could lead them to her and Nick and Amanda were on the long trip back to the precinct.

Elliot saw this as an opportunity to move Olivia safely to the hospital. He wouldn't get caught this way and he could see that Olivia was slowly fading away. Her wrists looked pretty hurt from the cut marks and as he carried him she lay limp in his arms.

"You're going to be okay," Elliot cried as he carried her up the stairs with a blanket tucked around her, "I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry." His tears blurred his vision as he ran out into the dark of the Manhattan night and hailed a cab. "Mercy General," he ordered the driver, "Please hurry."

When the arrived Elliot quickly pulled his self together and carried Olivia into the emergency room. "I need help!"

A nurse who had saw him walk in came to his side and took a look at Olivia. "What happened to her?"

Elliot shrugged, "I don't know. I found her. Please. You have to help her!"

"I need a bed over here!" the nurse called and a young lady wearing blue scrubs came rushing to their side pushing a hospital bed. Elliot watched as they wheeled her away and ushered him to the waiting area.

"We should call the hospitals," Fin suggested to John.

"I already did," John sighed, "No Olivia Benson anywhere."

"I'll try again." Fin took his phone out of his pocket and dialed all the numbers to all the hospitals in the area.

"Hi, this is Detective Tutuola with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. Could you tell me if you have a patient by the name of Olivia Benson?"

There was a silence for a minute on the other end of the phone and then the receptionist replied. "As a matter of fact, we just got a woman by that name who came in.

"Thank you!" Fin said graciously before hanging up the phone and telling John to drive to Mercy and step on it.

Don had just walked out of the church where the AA meeting was being held that week when his cell phone started vibrating in his pocket. "Hello?"

"She's at Mercy," Fin said into the phone just as he and John pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Don looked up and across the street at the hospital and hung up his phone before saying anything. He took off running, not paying attention to traffic. He was more concerned about why Olivia was in the hospital. Whoever put her there would surely pay.

From where Elliot was sitting in the waiting room, he could see Fin and John rushing in with Don not far behind them. He knew he had to play it cool or he would blow everything. He hurried to conger a story in his head but he didn't have enough time before his three long ago co-workers were in front of him.

"What the hell did you to her, man?!" Fin had Elliot by the collar on his shirt and was inches away from his face.

"I didn't do anything!" Elliot spat, "I found her! She-she was just lying in an alley... I don't know what happened. I brought her straight here."

Fin knew that Elliot was lying but now wasn't the time to get into a heated argument. Right now his main concern was Olivia. He let go of Elliot's collar, pushing him back down into the chair. He turned and followed Don to the reception desk where they asked about Olivia's condition.

"She's actually just been taken to a room," the young man explained, "She was severely dehydrated and she sustained some pretty nasty cuts to her wrists where it looked like she had fought handcuffs or some sort of rope."

Don rubbed his hand down his face, hating what he was hearing. "Can we see her?"

"Sure, she's in room 201. Just take the elevator to the second floor and go to your left."

Don thanked her and then he and Fin went up to the second floor to find Olivia's room. John stayed down with Elliot, hoping to try and get some answers. They already had him for the murder of his son. They didn't really have a reason to trust him at this point.

"So, tell me where you found her at," John said sitting down in the chair next to Elliot.

"In the alley behind the precinct," he answered casually.

"Really?" John asked crossing his arms in front of his chest, "because we looked there. More than once."

"Look," Elliot said getting angry, "I found her in that alley. Maybe she wasn't there before but she definitely was when I found her."

"Elliot," John said sick of the bull-crap lies, "We found your son. He went to your house in hopes of helping you. You weren't having it though and you killed him."

Elliot shook his head with his eyes turning pink and glossy, "I didn't mean to!"

"Why did you do it?"

Elliot buried his face in his hands and shook his head, "He wouldn't stop arguing with me. I told him to leave... I couldn't control my anger and I didn't want him to get hurt! He wouldn't listen."

John sighed, believing what Elliot was saying. "I have to arrest you."

"I know," Elliot cried, standing up and putting his hands behind his back. John cuffed him, and carried him out of the hospital, taking him back to the precinct.

Meanwhile, Don and Fin were in Olivia's room, hoping to get some information out of her. She had woken up not too long ago but she seemed pretty disoriented.

"What happened?" Olivia finally asked, turning her gaze to Don.

"We were hoping you could tell us that," he said gently. "You were missing. You have some pretty bad cuts on your wrists."

She looked down at her bandaged wrists, wondering how that had happened to her. She didn't remember anything. The last thing she could recall was sitting in her apartment and watching some boring program on television.

"I don't remember," she said sadly. "How long was I missing?"

Don shot a quick look to Fin and he decided they would fill Olivia in on the details later. They didn't want to make her upset and put things in her head if it wasn't what actually happened.

"I remember watching something on TV," Olivia said quietly, "then... somebody knocked on the door. I got up to answer it and..." she stopped talking and Fin could see she was getting ready to cry.

"What is it, Liv?" he asked patting her gently on the shoulder.

She looked up to him with the first tear falling. "It was Elliot."

** AN: Okay so I know this chapter was a little bit all over the place but, you need to know all of this information to understand what happens next! Did Elliot really kill Richard? Was he really the one to kidnap Olivia? Would Olivia lie to protect him? What do the others think of this?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's been so long! I hope I still have readers!**

Olivia had been released from the hospital the hospital the next day and been given a lift to the precinct, courtesy of Fin. She spent time in the car asking him if he had any details, but she knew he couldn't disclose.

"Sorry, Liv," he had said, "You know that isn't how it works."

She sighed and the rest of the ride was quiet. Once she had gotten back to the precinct she asked for a moment alone with Elliot. Looking through the two way mirror she couldn't help but wonder why he had done this. She knew it wasn't like him to kill his son. He loved his children more than anything.

Cragen was hesitant at first, but because it was Olivia, he was willing to give them some private time. He nodded his head and then excused himself away from the area. Olivia took a deep breath, mustering the strength to go in there and not break down. She opened the door and when she walked in she made sure she was wearing her detective face.

"You're okay," Elliot said at the sight of her.

Olivia made no comment. "Why?" she asked, sitting in the chair across the table from him. "Why did you kill Dickie?"

Elliot's face turned white, "Olivia, you have to believe me. I didn't do this. I swear to you, Liv. I would never lie to you. You're my best friend."

"I was," Olivia reminded him, "I was your best friend before you left without a word. Before you ignored my many text messages and many phone calls. Before you walked away without telling me goodbye." Her voice broke off toward the end as the emotions of that year came flooding back to her.

Elliot was just shaking his head. "You are the best detective there is," he said staring hard into her eyes, "You'll figure it out." His tone wasn't harsh or angry, but serious.

"If you didn't do this then tell me who did," Olivia tried.

Elliot shook his head again with sad eyes, "I can't."

Olivia sighed and gazed up to the ceiling. She wondered where her friend was. Where was the Elliot that was so caring? Where was Elliot Stabler? The man sitting across from her surely wasn't it.

–

"How did it go?" Cragen asked when he saw that Olivia was out of the interrogation room.

Olivia shrugged and slumped down into the chair at her desk. "Richard deserves justice..."

"He kidnapped you, Olivia," Cragen reminded her. He could see where this was going.

"I just can't," she said looking up at him with sad eyes, "He was my best friend... I can't..."

"You don't think he did it?" Fin asked from where he was seated at his own desk. He knew how Olivia was and if she didn't believe something was right then she would fight for it.

"I know when he's lying," she offered, "I don't think he was. He loves his kids more than anything else on this entire world. Drunk or not he would never hurt them. Never. Someone's setting him up... something."

"You saw him," Cragen said gently, "You said he was the only guy there."

"He was and I wasn't hurt."

"Oliv-"  
"Just keep in the interrogation room a little longer," she said not caring for what else her captain had to say, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" he yelled after her.

"I'll be back."

Cragen turned to Fin and he didn't even have to say anything for Fin to catch on. "I'll make sure she doesn't beat anybody to a pulp," he said making his way toward the slow hum of the elevator.

Fin followed Olivia all the way to a shabby house that looked like it would cave in at any moment. He wondered what she was doing there. He stepped of the car and told her to wait up. She sighed before walking to the steps.

"Cragen doesn't trust me?"

"He just wants to make sure you're okay," Fin answered. "What are we doing here?"

Olivia and Fin both looked around at the mess that the house was. "This is where Kathy and the kids are staying..."

Olivia knocked on the door gently, afraid that if she knocked too loud the door would just fall down. They waited a few seconds and finally Kathy opened the door. "Olivia?"

Olivia gave her a sad smile. "I know that this is a very difficult time but... I need to ask Kathleen some questions."

Kathy nodded and opened the door further so Olivia and Fin could step inside. They all sat down on the couch that was in what seemed to be the living room. Fin and Olivia waited patiently while Kathy went to another room to find Kathleen.

"Hey, Liv," Kathleen said when she entered the living room.

"Hey Kathleen," Olivia smiled.

"So, what did you want to ask?"

"Well," Olivia began folding her hands in her lap, "My partner told me that after you guys moved out, you stayed in touch with your dad."

"Yeah," Kathleen said almost in a shy tone, "I couldn't just stop talking to him... he's my Dad."

"I know," Olivia said sympathetically. "When you guys would talk, did you ever notice anything different about him? Maybe he had to get off the phone suddenly or there were people in the background?"

Kathleen shrugged, "No."

Olivia could tell that Kathleen was growing upset thinking about Elliot and she couldn't blame her. Elliot had been a man that they both trusted and now he was wrapped up in murder and kidnapping. It just wasn't like him. Not at all.

Kathleen sighed. "There was one time... I got an A on this big project at school and I was really proud. I called Dad as soon as I got home."

"What happened?"

"He told me he couldn't talk and that he loved me and that it wasn't him."

"What did he mean by that?"

Kathleen shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't think much about it... I just thought he was in one of his moods."

Olivia nodded. "You've been a big help, Kathleen."

"Did he hurt you?"

Olivia gave her a sad smile. "I'm okay."

Back at the precinct, Olivia was trying anything she could to keep herself occupied. Knowing that Elliot was in the interrogation room still made her nervous. She had to find out what was going on. "Fin," she said gaining his attention and then motioning for him to follow her. She led him up the stairs and to the top of the building where they would have privacy.

"Everything okay?" Fin asked, concerned for his good friend.

Olivia sighed and turned around to show Fin her watering eyes. "I just can't believe that someone I loved could do this... It's Elliot! Sure, he had a temper but he would never, NEVER, hurt his children. There has to be a bigger picture and we're not seeing it. Cragen... he doesn't want me on the case."

"So, what do I need to do?" Fin asked, wanting to help in every way he could.

"We need to search his Mom's house," she said, "And the basement here."

Fin grew a shocked look on his face. They still had yet to find out where Elliot had kept her during the whole time and now he knew. "Liv..."

"He didn't hurt me," she assured him.

"And there wasn't anybody else there?"

"No. Nobody else was there."

"But your doctor said you were probably in and out of consciousness due to lack of hydration."

"I remember when the lights were off," Olivia said quietly, looking down at the city, "There was a small red light coming the vent. I never got the chance to see what it was."

"You're thinking it was a camera?"

Olivia shrugged, "Maybe it's still there."

**Camera? Elliot would never do that. Would he? Is Olivia telling the truth?**


End file.
